Next Xbox Will be Revealed May 21

Must See Entertainment and Style Videos

On Wednesday, April 25, Microsoft announced it will reveal the next Xbox system on May 21. Then, according to a post by Microsoft spokesman Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, more information will be revealed 19 days later at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles.

Rumors about the new system, code named Durango, have been circulating for months. Earlier this year, Kotaku reported the new system would have a mandatory Kinect feature, run multiple games, and require game installation (similar to the PS3). Another widespread rumor is that the console will require an always-online internet connection to play games—a controversial feature seen recently in SimCity and Diablo III.

It's impossible to tell what we'll actually see or learn on May 21. Many will recall Sony's surprisingly unrevealing Playstation 4 reveal back in February. We saw the new controller and heard about many new features, but Sony didn't have much to actually show off. Paul Tassi, reporting for Forbes, said the talk felt like it had little substance, and reporters left with many of the same questions they arrived with. These included questions about price, computing power and even the machine's appearance.

Fans are hoping that Microsoft will learn from Sony's head-scratching event and not repeat the same kind of "non-reveal." Gamers want to at least see the what the next console will look like; and if Microsoft delivers actual substance, and not just talking points, it'll have a strong wave of excitement to ride into the next generation of console wars.

A countdown to the press event is available on Hryb's previously mentioned blog post. Also, fans can discuss the event and next console on Twitter with "#XboxReveal." The event will be broadcast live at 10 a.m. PST on Xbox Live, the system's official website, and on Spike TV.